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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. prune — to trim
  3. track — to keep track
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. prune — to trim
  6. degree — an amount
  7. club — for dancing
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. tube — a container
  10. degree — temperature
  11. pop — soda
  12. pit — in a race
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. club — for golf
  15. track — a song
  16. tube — the underground
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. pit — a hole
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. track — a path
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. pop — music
  23. degree — from a university
  24. club — a group

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com